News — Paul Romhany

10 Points for putting together a silent visual comedy magic act

Read more

It was a sad month for the world of magic as we lost several terrific magicians. Matt Field was well known to many in the UK and was the past editor of The Magic Circular. David Maas, half of the well known quick change act David and Dania, succumbed to Covid-19. The great Walter 'Zaney' Blaney, entertainer and creator of the Blaney Ladder Levitation passed away at the age of ninety two (92). These gentlemen were passionate about magic and gave so much to so many throughout their careers. They will be missed by all who knew them. Thank you to Nick Lewin and Tim Drake for their tribute to Walter.

 

Vanish has a dual reputation as both an International and Independent magic magazine. This means we feature artists from around the globe more than any other publication, and we aren't afraid to have articles that are slightly outside the box. This was my goal from day one when I started VANISH eight years ago and it continues more so today. The world around us is constantly changing, having a magazine that reflects these changes will be important for future generations as they research the past. I would like to think many years down the road that when youngsters have to do a school project on "The Great Lock-down of 2020" that those who like magic will be able to find examples within the pages of Vanish, its affect on the entertainment business and what people did to survive.

 

This edition reflects both of my goals as we feature the incredible artist Malin Nilsson from Sweden. She is a remarkable performer with a unique view of our craft. It is an honor to feature her as the cover story.

 

I recently received an email from a reader who said they felt VANISH has done more to promote unity and diversity than anything they’d seen from other magazines or organizations. This warmed my heart, and it’s wonderful to see that in the past few months magic groups have embraced what we have been doing for the past eight years and are becoming aware. We continue to provide ground breaking articles covering numerous subjects from a variety of contributors situated across the world. In this issue Eric Walton shares what the SAM is doing with an on-line show called FLAVORS OF MAGIC. Felicity Fields continues her series on Diversity in Magic and gets the view points from two very different people at complete ends of the age spectrum. 

 

Connie Boyd’s chat with Diana Zimmerman, who paved a path for generations of magicians with her performances and continues to do so with her writing and producing is a must read. Ben Robinson is one of the most profound, ground breaking magician that I know. VANISH got the exclusive story of Ben's new book release and launch. If ever we needed an Outlaw Hero, the time is now and nobody is more qualified for that title than Ben.

 

Finally, a big thank you to Kevin Bethea. Kevin has helped open all of our eyes with his Black Lives Matter series. These stories are a must read if magic has an opportunity to move forward.

 

Stay safe and wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Kwanzaa …

 

Paul Romhany

Find out how to get FULL access to ALL Vanish Magic magazines

Read more

 Another hectic week. I had a great time in Hong Kong, the reports back from the show were great and already we are looking at more work throughout Asia. Many times as a cruise ship magician we joke about the fact we get paid for the travel and not so much for the show.  Having just flown 11.5 hours one way then perform 10 minutes and back home for another 11.5 hours I must say I got paid for the travel. It really takes it toll when you travel this much. Having said that I'm very pleased to be working of course. One of the best moves I ever made years ago was developing an act that was truly international. This has allowed me to perform in countries that the majority of magicians wouldn't get booked. Also, having continued on with the Chaplin character has helped in these in these world class venues. 

What many people may not know is that I also perform other shows than the Chaplin Act. My full evening Mentalism show and my comedy show. In the future I'll put up photos of the new act I've been busy developing - very different but again it's aimed at the international non-English speaking market.

Next weeks BLOG will be late as I'm on a cruise ship again. Work is coming in for ships - despite what people might tell you the cruise lines are still booking acts - they have however canned a lot of the older acts that have been working on ships for 30 plus years. I have a lot of good friends who have worked ships for many many years and can no longer get regular work. The industry has changed a lot since I started. It's all about keeping your act fresh and exciting - this will keep you working for a long time.

 

UPDATE ON PERFORMING FOR YOUNG MINDS VOLUME 2

I have had a number of emails from people asking when Volume 2 will be ready. I'm pleased to say it's ALMOST complete. This volume has even more effects in it than the first - and all of them are amazing. I would say that if you perform any type of mentalism you will want to get your hands on both books. Volume 2 has quite a large variety of effects from close-up, strolling to stage and even an illusion idea for performing on stage.

ROMHANY"S PICK OF THE WEEK FROM WWW.HOCUS-POCUS.COM

Appearing & Floating Guitar by Black Magic Co. - EXCLUSIVE

Here is an effect that offers ALOT of possibilities for a performer. I really like this idea. The magician enters and produces a guitar from a briefcase, then causes it to float. This could make a great 'piece' of theater with the right music.  The quality of product is great and I can certainly see this being a feature in somebody's act. Everybody today seems to float a table, why not float a guitar. Being a musician I really like this and can see it as a part of my stand-up act. It's very easy to perform and is extremely visual. If you need to perform a solo illusion then this is perfect. The great thing is that it really does look like a real guitar!

This is exclusive to www.hocus-pocus.com so contact them to get yours today.

This is the kind of unique item that we are always searching for.

The magician comes on stage carrying a briefcase. The briefcase can be shown and examined on all sides.

The magician then sets the briefcase on a table, opens it and removes a FULL SIZE GUITAR.

The magician then holds the guitar up and it begins floating and cavorting around him; seemingly under its own power.

If you're looking for a unique and unusual effect this one's for you.

Supplied with wooden briefcase, special guitar and DVD instructional.

The price is $695.00

Shift: Self Bending Fork by Ellusionist

I am a HUGE fan of mental bending. I perform all types of versions from spoons to forks. I had the opportunity to see this myself and test it out at a convention in Vancouver, Canada. This floored everybody who saw it. The great thing about this version is that you can pretty much leave it out and when you want to perform it, have a spectator hold it and the fork will start to bend. It's unbelievable. I now own one myself and used it recently on a TV spot I did here in New Zealand. The reaction from the host was worth every penny and caused quite a stir. I think the perfect way to do this is to incorporate it in to other different bends you already do, and at the end finish with this one in the spectator's hand. 

Ellusionist has added a chrome finish to so that the fork resembles REAL flatware, cut the price in HALF, and engineered the gimmick to stay straight in room temperature UNTIL you place it inside the spectator's hands.

Shift will remain unbent, unnoticed, and unassuming until the moment you place it into the spectator's hands. From that moment on, your work is done and the real phenomenon begins.

You now have the tool for a surreal performance. A physical impossibility is now within your reach.

IMPORTANT: This is NOT an opening effect. If used as an opening trick, make it your ONLY trick and walk away... we've discovered that NOTHING can follow Shift.

You can now perform the impossible action of bending a fork INSIDE your SPECTATOR'S HAND, in plain view, for the world to witness every surreal moment.

 Aura by Jay Crowe

Jay is well known for releasing innovative and highly visual magic. I have to say that he has really outdone himself on this one. It is EXACTLY as it reads in the advert. A blank card is placed in a spectator's hand it is visually changes, face-up to their card. It just doesn't get any more visual or stronger than this!! I'm not a huge fan of card tricks unless they are commercial and work in the real world. This has to be one of the most visual effects I've ever seen. The method is outstanding and right up there with Jay's other creative effects. Jay often takes his magic to different levels, beyond what most of us would normally do. Aura is certainly one of those effects.

Jay Crowe and Jason Brumbalow have worked together to create that mythical holy grail of card magic; the no-move, no cover, color change as the blank card comes into being without any sleight of hand or moves whatsoever.

Nowhere in magic does a blank card develop like a Polaroid in your spectator's open palm. Until now.

From a blank deck a card is chosen and placed in the hands of a spectator. They are told to think of a card, and visualize the image flowing forth from their mind to the blank card in their hand.

Slowly, Visually, face up, the image materializes from nothing. The blank card has manifested on its own, becoming the very card they had in their mind.

Witness what real magic should look like as the image of their card breathes itself into existence before their eyes.

Perform in spectator's hand which makes this SUPER STRONG MAGIC!!